


Daryl's acting weird

by NobodyGivesAShit1969



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Crying, Daddy Kink, Daryl Dixon is a Softie, Diapers, First Time, Infantilism, Love, M/M, Non-Consensual Spanking, Rick Grimes Loves Daryl Dixon, Whining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-03-02 20:01:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13325460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NobodyGivesAShit1969/pseuds/NobodyGivesAShit1969
Summary: Rick notices something's off with his best friend, so he decided to chase him once he's going to hunt just to see what he's actually doing. When he sees what it is, he can't help trying to convince the other man to let him help.





	1. Suspicious

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all like it <3

They were all wandering around, looking for the man who Rick was so worried about. He had gone into the woods in the search of any animal they could use as food, and spent nearly 4 hours there, even though he had already searched almost the whole place and said there was absolutely nothing. The leader was afraid something could've happened to his dear hunter, and that's why he decided to follow him next time he disappeared suspiciously. 

Daryl was back to the camp, looking completely exhausted and dehydrated, which caused everyone to approach him with their faces full of worry. The angst of the man seemed to attract them like noise lures walkers into gun fights. Everyone surrounded him as he sat heavily on the pavement of the lonely road they were living in. Their states seemed to dig into Daryl's skin until he heard a voice into his head, which told him that he was acting like a pussy. Then, as if he had recovered from whatever that was bugging him, he stood up and stormed off, walking toward somewhere kind of away from the other people. 

Making new arrows with wood wasn't as fun as before, when they were at the farm, but he had to make new ammo or he wouldn't be able to hunt... If they survived until autumn came, of course. 

His head snapped up when he heard someone's heavy and noisy footsteps approaching. He knew who it was, and he couldn't decide whether he should let him get close or not. 

"Hi Daryl" Rick spoke, sitting down next to the hunter and taking a look at what he was doing. He had always admired how much prepared Daryl was for the shitty world they were stuck in, but he kind of knew why he did everything so well and that made him proud because his friend was strong and despite having an awful life, now he had an actual family that loved him and worried about his well being. 

"Hm" Daryl grunted, not even looking at his partner. 

"Are you upset?" It took everything Rick had not to give into his 'instinct' and pet Daryl's hair with all the love he felt towards him. "Did anything go wrong with your run?" 

"Nah... 'M fine" Daryl spoke, embarrassed about having to lie to the man he liked so much, but he knew that all that respect they felt towards each other would disappear if he told him the truth of his 'runs'.

It was 10 in the morning of the next day, when Daryl told Maggie that he was going to see if he could find any water in the woods that surrounded the road they had been walking since Tyreese died. The only Greene left, immediately ran towards Rick to tell him where Daryl had just gone, causing the leader to almost fly in that direction.  


Everything was silent as he followed Daryl from a large distance, knowing how well the other man's ears worked and not wanting to be discovered in such an important mission.  


Once the hunter stopped walking and entered a barn, Rick waited outside and started watching what was going on inside, where everything was quite dark because of the lack of any other windows but the one he could see everything through. He waited patiently for anything to happen, and he was surprised when he saw Daryl's hands were unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants. Then he thought that maybe his partner needed a little bit of privacy and that he should get going because nothing strange was going on. He was going to head back to the camp, when he noticed something that caused his mouth to let a gasp out: he could see Daryl's underwear, which wasn't precisely boxer briefs but diapers. Daryl, Daryl Dixon, the toughest man on Earth, was wearing DIAPERS!  
Rick didn't laugh at all, he just watched the man grab a few washcloths from the pocket of the back of his pants, then pulling them completely down, untapping the diaper and starting to clean himself up. Grimes didn't know why, but he felt curious and also kind of aroused. It was weird, but he wanted to help Daryl and maybe sprinkle some powder on him before tapping his new, fresh diaper. God... He felt too weird. 

"Shit" Rick heard Daryl hissed and looked at him quickly just to know if he was okay. Damn... He seemed to be having problems with a kind of... Cream? He didn't know. Agh, he wanted to help, he wanted to help! 

Rick walked cautiously to the wooden door of the barn and opened it almost silently, peeking into the room and seeing Daryl wasn't facing him, fortunately. He was about to step into the dark room, when the door creaked and the hunter jumped out of his concentration to look over his shoulder. When he saw Rick, his friend and the man who he loved, his eyes filled with tears and an expression of pure shock invaded his beautiful face. 

"I- I... I didn't mean to startle you, just..." Rick tried to explain himself as his heart sank as he saw Daryl's face. 

"Get out" Daryl hissed, a couple of tears sliding down his cheeks. Rick tried to step close to him, but the hunter stepped back. He was afraid Rick would get mad and punish him somehow. That was quite stupid though, because he knew Rick would never hurt him, but he felt weird and embarrassed. "Go. Please" He cried, covering his face with his hands as he sobbed. 

"I just want to help you. Saw you struggling with that cream and thought maybe you needed some help" He walked towards Daryl and saw the man wasn't trying to keep away from him anymore, so he hugged him tightly and held him as he tried to help him calm down. "It's alright..." Grimes petted the hunter's soft hair patent and lovingly, not caring about the sobbing man's nudity regarding to the open diaper that showed his member. "Do you want me to help you, huh?

Daryl didn't know what to say or how to act, so he continued crying until Rick decided to do something and made the hunter lay down on the floor, then kneeling between his bare thighs and starting checking on the diaper. 

"You did a good job at cleaning yourself up" He commented as he used his left hand to rub Daryl's belly to try and make him feel better. "I'm just gonna help you with the cream, okay?" He smiled sincerely at the red-faced man and started squirting some cream onto his index finger, soon smearing it all over Daryl's reddened bottom. The hunter flinched. "Sorry, did that hurt?" He asked worriedly.

"Mm" Daryl let out an involuntary whine, which caused him to cover his mouth with his hands. Rick smiled kindly at him and continued spreading the cream. 

"Am I being careful enough, baby?" Rick asked, soon realizing what he had just said. His eyes opened widely and his face reddened quickly. "I'm sorry"

Daryl shook his head, still embarrassed. "I'm sorry ya had ta do this" His whole body was trembling and his face was a crimson mess, but all he could focus on was Rick's expression. The older man didn't say anything, just taking the time to stare at the hunter with pure love shimmering in his blue eyes. He didn't even care about the diaper, it was okay if it helped Daryl. Whatever made him happy was okay. "We should get go--" Daryl tried to stand up, but Rick gently pushed him back onto the dirty floor. 

"Shh... We can stay for a couple of minutes if you want" He smiled, lost in his thoughts. Daryl made a noise he couldn't figure out. "Are you okay?" 

"This is weird" Daryl bit his bottom lip. It was actually weird, but it also felt nice... He didn't know what to do, he wanted Rick's help with decisions. 

"Weird good or weird awkward?" Rick asked. 

"Jus' weird weird" Daryl shrugged, leaning into the sheriff's gentle touch. 

"Mhm.. I see" Rick continued caressing Daryl's face, giving into his beauty and sweetness. "You know... I really worry about you, and I thought we--" He was cut off by Daryl's whining. "What's wrong?" He looked all over Daryl to see what might be bothering him, but couldn't see anything. 

"My-- my stomach.. It hurts" Daryl started squirming until Rick's right hand landed on top of his flat belly and started massaging the zone, rubbing invisible circles on his skin. 

"Shh... 'S okay, it's okay. Maybe some of this rotting food caused you a tummy ache, huh?"Rick continued cautiously rubbing Daryl's belly, slightly pressing on the affected area. 

"No... 'M jus' too nervous" Daryl explained, now that he felt much better and could speak without whining. Rick hummed and nodded, smiling now that he knew the hunter wasn't ill. 

"I can imagine. But you don't have to be, I really enjoyed helping you and would do it again... If you don't mind, of course" Now it was Rick whose face went all red as he waited for an answer. Daryl's eyes opened widely. 

"Why would you wanna do somet'in' fer me?" The hunter's stare wandered all over the place as he didn't know what to think about, other than the man right beside him. Rick patted his hip as if he was warning Daryl not to say things like that ever again. 

"Daryl, I would do anything for you" Rick caressed the archer's cheek and smiled at him when he blushed. "Don't you ever doubt it." 

Once they were back at the road, Daryl sat on the pavement as far as he could from the rest of the group and watched Rick take care of his kids. He really liked the leader, he loved him. But he was too afraid to say something and thought that Rick would never like him that way, mostly because he had just helped him put on his diaper. He wanted to cry. 

They were all about to have dinner, but Daryl didn't want to eat anything so he kept his distance as he always did. It was a silent night, barely lit by the moon and also by the fire they started to cook the few animals they caught. 

Rick approached Daryl and sat down next to him, sighing as his ass touched the ground. He turned his head towards the archer and smiled at him as he stared at his perfect face. 

"Won't you eat?" He asked. Daryl shrugged, not even looking at him. He was too embarrassed to do so. "C'mon, Daryl... Am I gonna have to feed you too, huh?" 

"Go on... Laugh at me" Daryl said, trying not to whine. Rick patted Daryl on the hip as he shook his head. 

"I would never laugh at you, I think I already made clear how much I like you" Grimes smiled and sighed, watching Daryl's face go completely red. "I know you like me too, am I right?" 

Daryl froze. How in hell did Rick know about his feelings? Or was he talking about them liking each other as friends? He was so confused! What should he say? Should he run away? No, Rick wouldn't like that. Agh... What should he do?


	2. Crying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl cries about liking Rick, but the ex-sheriff kisses it all better. Then, Daryl has an accident that causes Maggie to find out about his problem.  
> Our little boy gets in trouble and Rick has to teach him better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Hope you all like the story! Thank you for reading!

Daryl's throat had a lump stuck inside, which didn't let him breathe properly and caused his chest to ache. Tears started coming out of his eyes and sliding down his reddened cheeks and little sobs escaped his mouth, which he wished he could keep shut. 

"Daryl, boy, don't cry" Rick cooed him, hugging him by the shoulders and pressing their bodies together. The hunter rubbed his eyes with his dirty hands, smearing some dirt on his face, not caring at all. "C'mon, Daryl... Shh, shh... It's okay" Rick sat Daryl on his lap and hugged him tightly to his chest, where he muffled his sobs and whines. "Shh, shh..." Rick patiently rubbed Daryl's back until the man fell asleep and he could help him lay down on the ground. 

He knew most of his people had been watching the scene that had just been developed right in front of them, but he didn't care. His job was to take care of them, and Daryl was the man he truly loved, so how could he not take care of him the way he needed? If he needed to be treated like a baby, then he would do that without any hesitation. Daryl was his boy and nothing would change that. 

Once the rest of the group was asleep and he was on watch, he sat down next to the sleeping man that caught his eye most of the time and sliced his hand into Daryl's pants, then pressing it on the crotch of his diaper, feeling it was very wet. He grimaced and sighed deeply, not wanting to wake the hunter and have to change him right there, where anyone could wake up and see them. They couldn't go to the barn, not at night, when a walker could just appear and startle them in the middle of nowhere. No, they had to stay. 

"Daryl..." Grimes whispered into the archer's ear, causing him to stir a little bit and grunt something Rick couldn't understand. "C'mon, baby... You're wet and I have to change your diaper" 

"Nng.." Daryl whined, opening his eyes and rubbing them with his hands. Rick smiled at him, grabbed his bag and signaled him to walk towards a place on the road that was a little bit further. "Ouch! It stings" He complained, feeling his wet diaper graze his delicate skin and cause him some pain. Rick turned to look at him and stopped walking, taking some time to caress his face and watch him flinch at first but then give into the touch. 

"Lay down, sweetpea" Rick helped Daryl lay down onto the floor and then knelt down between his legs. As he saw the hunter's face redden in a blush, he smiled and patted his hip playfully. He was going to undo Daryl's belt, when the other man shook his head with his eyes wide open and his face very red. "What is it?" Rick didn't know what had just gotten into the hunter's head. He tried once again, but the hunter swatted his hand away and grunted. "C'mon, Daryl... We have to go back to the camp, I'm on watch" 

Daryl whined and pouted. "No, please..." 

"Baby, I'm not gonna do anything to you. Are you afraid of me?" Rick asked, his chest aching with worry. Daryl shook his head. "Then tell me what's bothering you. Right now" He asked sternly. 

"I have... I- I--- Ihaveaprobleminmypants" Daryl slurred and his face burned even redder. Rick chuckled and shook his head, wondering why it had been so much trouble. 

"C'mon, let me change your diaper" Rick said, smiling to the younger man and unbuckling his pants, then tugging them down and noticing the slight bulk in his diaper. 

"Rick..." Daryl looked at him with pleading eyes, causing him to smile. 

"Do you want me to take care of it, baby?" Grimes asked, staring deeply into Daryl's blue eyes. The boy shook his head, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment. "Okay, then let's get you changed so that you don't get a rash" Rick untapped Daryl's diaper and started cleaning him up with a washcloth, causing the other man to wiggle as soon as the cold fabric touched his skin. "C-can I ask you something?" Rick wasn't sure if asking Daryl about it would be a good idea, but he had to try. He cared about him and noe that he helped him with all this diaper thing, he deserved to know. 

Daryl shrugged. "Sure". 

Rick cleared his throat and spoke, "Do you really need these, or you just like them?" His voice trembled as he said those words, his hands just finishing to clean Daryl's private parts and then grabbing the powder to sprinkle some onto the man. 

Daryl's face reddened suddenly and his facial expression showed surprise and a little bit of fear, maybe because he wasn't really sure how Rick would react to his answer. What if he thought he was gross and didn't want him anymore? He wouldn't be able to bare that kind of pain. Being left by the only one who ever cared about him during his whole life would be the worst thing that could happen to him. But he had been asked a question, and the only thing he had to do was answer it. 

"I-- I need 'em. I know it's gross, but--" He was cut off by Rick's gentle touch and sweet words. 

"It's not gross, baby. It's okay to need some help. You can't help it, that can happen to anyone" Rick loved being sweet to Daryl, treat him well and care about him. It also helped him to stay in the real world and keep his mind working correctly. It worked for both of them. 

"'Kay" Daryl nodded, looking away. 

It was ten in the morning and the whole group started walking, not even minding to know where they were going. They just needed shelter and could use anything that was big enough for them all and that had a roof to cover them from the burning heat. Daryl felt kind of moody because he had slept worse than ever and his eyes struggled to stay open during the walk, and Rick's whole attention being on Michonne and Carol, now that they helped him decide things for the well-being of the whole group, didn't help either. He wanted to be spoken to, not to be left behind like a dog everybody knew would follow them no matter if they paid attention to it or not.

While they were all walking, Daryl felt a slight pain in his lower belly and he knew he was about to have an accident. But there was nowhere safe to go without being stared at by all the other people, so he decided to hold it until they found a new place. 

"Is it possible to let me fill up with awareness of where this whole bunch of people are heading?" Eugene asked the hunter, making him turn to his confused face, wondering what the hell had he been asked about. 

"Dunno, man" He didn't even bother to actually speak it and answered the man with a simple grunt. 

"Wish I had lots of pickle jars to calm my oncoming anxiety, produced by our current lack of a temporary shelter." Eugene continued talking, but Daryl's attention drifted away since he remembered that the other man could never and would never say something he might care about. He kept on thinking about Rick and how the man had been walking side to side with Michonne. "... And that's the point of--- Daryl!" Eugene snapped his fingers at the hunter, startling him and almost making him suffer a heart attack. "Are you liste--?" 

"NO! NOBODY CARES ABOUT YER SHIT, YE SMART ASS. FUCK OFF!" Daryl yelled, watching Eugene run off towards Rick, probably going to tell on him. But he didn't have to, though, because Rick was already staring at him with kind of a disappointed look. Daryl stared down at his feet, feeling bad for making Rick angry. 

Dixon soon felt a strong hand land on his shoulder, and he didn't even have to look up to see whose it was. "What's wrong, hun? Why are you angry?" Rick rubbed his back soothingly. 

"Not angry." Daryl rolled his eyes. Rick patted his hip warningly. 

"You don't roll your beautiful eyes at me, young man. Now tell me what's bothering you" Rick quickly checked Daryl's diaper and found it completely dry. He turned to Daryl, wanting an explanation. "You don't pee since last night? Boy, it's almost noon!" 

"Can't use it. We don't have where to stop an' change it" Daryl almost pouted and Rick nodded. 

"You could untape it and go pee in the woods, pretending you're not wearing it... Or we could tell the others and go without having to hide" Rick explained, causing Daryl to open his eyes widely and shake his head with fear and worry. 

"No, Rick... They's gonna laugh and hit me" Daryl stared at Rick with big, pleading eyes the ex-sheriff couldn't help smiling at. He couldn't believe a tough man like Daryl Dixon could be such a cute, little boy deep inside. 

"Okay, sweetheart" Rick tweaked Daryl's nose and then winked at him. "But I assure you that no one would ever laugh at you. You've helped me to save their lives, most of them admire you... You're family to them, to me... You're our baby!" Daryl swatted Rick's arm and frowned at him. "Oh, yeah? We wanna hit each other now? How about I spank your naughty, little bum now, huh? Would that be nice?" Rick spoke teasingly, but Daryl blushed as red as an apple and shook his head as an answer to Rick's questions. 

"Nuh- uh.. Sorry" Daryl looked down, causing Rick to smile. Grimes put a hand on Daryl's shoulder and squeezed it lovingly. 

"Hey, it's fine. It was just a joke, baby." Rick patted Daryl's back. "But seriously, let's go change your diaper. Have you already used it?" 

"No, and... And my tummy hurts" Daryl pouted. Rick wanted to kiss him, but he didn't. "We go now?" The hunter tried not to wiggle when he felt his bladder try to give out. He clenched his fists and teeth and squirmed, pressing his legs together. Tears started forming in his tired eyes. "Rick...?" Daryl looked at Rick, who was standing right beside him. 

"It's okay, hun. Just let it go and we'll go clean you up" Rick looked around until he spotted Maggie, who was walking right next to Glenn. "Maggie, we have to go for a sec'. Tell the others we'll be back in a couple of minutes, okay?" 

"What? No, Rick! You gotta tell me what's going on--" Maggie was about to freak out. Rick shook his head and tried to walk Daryl into the woods, but the Greene girl grabbed him by the arm to stop him. "Tell me what's going on, please. What's wrong?" 

"Ouch..." Daryl squirmed and pouted, pressing his legs together. Rick turned to look at him for a brief second and nodded at him. 

"Maggie---" Rick tried to move, but Maggie's grip around his arm was very strong and not easy to get rid of. 

"Rick, don't tell her... Ow..." Daryl pleaded, pouting and wiggling. 

"Rick..." Maggie pushed him. Rick rolled his eyes.

"Daryl needs to wear diapers and he needs me to take care of it right now" Rick spoke, earning a whimper from Daryl and a surprised expression from Maggie. She released his arm and they headed to the woods. 

Daryl had been crying during the whole walk, meanwhile he finally used his diaper, until they found a place that was far enough from the group and safe enough not to worry too much about the walkers. Rick felt bad for Daryl, the boy had to be very embarrassed because of him. Why couldn't he have lied? 

"Lay down, please" Rick spoke, pouting his index finger to the floor. Daryl complied obediently and in silence, still crying. Rick pulled Daryl's pants down and untaped the diaper, then wiping the hunter's private parts carefully. Daryl sobbed harder. "Honey..." 

"Shut the fuck up, I hate you!" Daryl spat angrily, causing Rick to sigh deeply as he grabbed a clean diaper from Daryl's bag and rolled the other one up with the washcloths inside of it, then tossing it away. 

Rick lifted Daryl's legs off the ground and put the fresh diaper under his bottom, then grabbing the can of powder and sprinkling some of it onto his crotch and butt. He taped it up afterwards, then standing up and offering his hand for the boy to grab it and stand up as well, but the hunter did it on his own. 

Now that he felt better, only physically because his emotions were about to kill him by forming a bigger lump in his throat than the one that was already there, he was ready to walk back to the camp despite knowing that Maggie was gonna ask him a lot of questions as soon as she saw him. But Rick grabbed his arm gently but with strength enough to keep him still, and made him turn to face him. 

"I know that you're embarrassed, and I'm truly sorry for that, but I won't allow you to speak to me like that, okay?" He spoke sternly, causing Daryl to nod and be even more embarrassed. "Because next time you won't get a warning before I spank you, understood?" 

"Yes sir" Daryl nodded, staring down and sniffling. 

"Good. Now hand me your crossbow" He held his hand open for Daryl to do as he was told. The hunter hesitated before handing it over. "Thank you. Let's go" He kissed Daryl's forehead before starting to walk, just to show him that he still loved him despite having to punish him. 

As they walked, Daryl couldn't stop feeling bad for yelling at Rick and also for lying to him saying he hated him when he actually loved him with all his heart. He was just embarrassed and hadn't meant to hurt the other man's feelings, which he knew he did. 

"Rick..." Daryl almost whispered, but he got Rick's attention anyways. The ex-sheriff turned to look at him, hurt darkening his eyes slightly. 

"Yes..?" 

"I don' hate ya. 'M sorry" Daryl's cheeks burned red and he lowered his head. The older man stopped walking and grabbed him by his shoulder, making him turn around and pulling him into a sweet kiss. 

Rick pulled away after a few seconds, noticing how Daryl had reacted: he hadn't moved an inch, but a smile spread on his lips as he saw Rick's face once they were inches apart. 

"I know that you don't hate me, pup" Rick smiled at him, watching him bring his hand towards his mouth while an even brighter blush appeared on his cheeks. 

"Y-you ki--- you kissed me" Daryl spoke softly. 

"I know, I know... Could've done better" He leaned forward and kissed him once more, this time a little more passionate and lovingly. 

ⓑⓨⓔ!


	3. Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything seems to be going fine, but then something happens: Daryl escapes and no one can find him.  
> Rick gets mad at him but keeps his cool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for updating so slowly :c

Daryl wad sitting right next to Carl and Judith, who he was playing with, while Tara and Noah managed to finish cooking dinner. It seemed like it was not even seven pm, but everyone's hungry and their need to sleep is taking over their thoughts.  
Carl smiled at how his little sister played with the hunter, and wondered how much the man had changed the last few days. He didn't mind, though... The hunter looked cute and it looked like he was the best at making Judith happy with the very few toys she had got. 

Daryl really wished Rick was watching him, a strange need surging from nowhere as he thought how exciting it would be if the ex-sheriff praises him for playing so well with the baby. But maybe everyone else would laugh at him and at how childish he suddenly was. Since Sophia died, he started having little accidents at night. He assumed, now that he realized how little he felt, that he was afraid of how cruel this world could be to girls and boys, being him one of them as well. But it wasn't just that, because it worsened when his brother died and he actually felt alone, like there wouldn't be any more people looking after him, now that he was sure that Merle had died.

"Okay, little birds, it's time to eat" Rick walked towards them, sat down next to Daryl and picked Judith up to feed her. The little girl started giggling as she turned her head towards her father and reached out for his beard, touching it with curiosity. 

"Here, boys" Carol handed Daryl and Carl a few pieces of some leftover squirrels Daryl had hunted a few days ago, and also a pair of cans that were half full with beans. "Eat slowly, okay?" She looked at Daryl as she spoke, and smiled with her eyes full of pride towards him. 

"Thank you, Carol" Carl said. Carol nodded and stared at Daryl until he said something. 

"Thanks" The hunter mumbled. 

"You're very welcome, sweetie" She smiled at him once again and then left, sitting down on the asphalt afterwards. 

Daryl ate his small pieces of meat as slowly as he could, remembering what Carol had just said, and then he looked at the can and the spoon in it. His mind had blocked his knowledge about how to eat food from a can, leaving his mind blank somehow. Then, he turned his head towards Rick, who was feeding Judith while he chuckled at how she ate and the faces she made. 

Daryl honestly expected Rick to finish feeding Judith and to sit him on his lap, then feeding him slowly and carefully, taking care of his needs just like a dad would do. He sighed and pouted, resting his head on his knees, that had been brought up against his chest. 

"Did you already finish?" Rick asked him, always speaking so nicely towards him. The boy shook his head, pouting a little bit. Rick sighed and took a look at the food Daryl had been given. "Honey, why won't you eat? Isn't it yummy?" 

"Not that" Daryl stared down, not wanting to look at Rick. Grimes placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to say what had upset him. "Can't. 'S too hot" He complained, waiting for it to be enough for Rick to realize he had to feed him like he was doing with Judith. 

Rick nodded, proud of Daryl for telling him what was wrong instead of just pouting and being upset. It wasn't easy to talk about problems, he had learned from Daryl, and it meant a lot of progress to have him talk about something that didn't feel good. 

"Okay sweetheart, I get it. Little boys like you need help to eat their food, right?" Rick didn't even know why he was acting as if he was Daryl's caregiver, but it felt so right, so natural he didn't even feel the need to give it a thought. Daryl needed and wanted him, and that was all that mattered. 

Daryl nodded. He was so happy he wanted to jump, but he didn't because he thought he'd look stupid if he did. Rick smiled and asked Carl to hold a sleepy Judith while he fed his new little boy. The young Grimes frowned but decided to just let it be and ask about it when Daryl wasn't around, just to avoid making him feel bad.

"Okay boy, let's eat" He pulled Daryl into his lap and grabbed the food, soon noticing it was kind of cold and that Daryl had lied. He wanted to let the boy know that he had found out about his sneaky trick, but that would embarrass him and that was not what he wanted to cause. He guessed someone was just cuddly, then. 

Rick fed Daryl and craddled him nicely as if he was a baby, and then decided to let him sleep against his chest. It would get late soon and everyone would have to sleep, including both of them, so he carded his fingers through Daryl's hair while he heard his tiny snores and felt him move slightly.

When it was time to sleep, Rick laid down next to Carl and laid Judith down onto his chest, having Daryl by his side to be able to take care of him as well, in case it was needed. And it was. Daryl woke up in the middle of the night, screaming and crying, waking everyone else up as well. Judith whimpered and Rick hugged her tight against his chest as he sat up and checked on Daryl just to see if he was injured or something. Once he found out he wasn't, Rick did a diaper check and felt the plastic thing was completely dry. 

"Shh, it's okay pup, it's okay. You're with me. It's safe here" Rick rubbed circles on Daryl's back to soothe him and continued whispering the same words until the upset man calmed down. The rest of the group stared at them and watched the scene. Daryl his his face into Rick's collar bone and whined. "What were you dreaming about, sweetheart? Was it Merle again?" 

Daryl shook his head. "Walkers, Daddy. Walkers. They eat me" He whined. Rick grimaced, thinking of how upset Daryl was about walkers. He wished he could make them disappear. 

"They're not here, okay? Walkers won't get you or anyone here, I promise" He kissed Daryl's head and rubbed his back a little more. "Now let's go back to sleep, because all of us here need to rest some more. Just close your eyes, relax and I'll hug you, okay?" 

Daryl nodded. He complied and in just five minutes he was asleep once again, this time having a very peaceful dream that involved him and Rick. 

Early in the morning, Rick woke up to Glenn shaking him by his shoulder and staring at his sleepy face with his eyes full of confusion and something else not even the sheriff could decipher. The Asian man asked him to get up and follow him towards the rest of the group except for Carl, Judith and Daryl, which Rick complied without a doubt, trying as hard as he could not to wake Daryl up with every move he made. He knew how easily the hunter could startle awake and he didn't want that to happen, mostly because of his lack of sleep due to the nightmare that made him cry in the middle of the night and wake everyone else up. 

Once Rick was there, in front of the adults of the group, he saw their worried faces and didn't want to even imagine what was going on. He thought of the worst. Maybe someone had gotten bit and now it was their time to talk, or maybe they had found enemies and were being threatened in that exact moment. He turned to look at Daryl and his kids, who slept a couple of feet away. No, they were alright. What was going on, then? 

He stared at Glenn and Maggie expectantly. "So...?" 

Sasha narrowed her eyes at the leader and said: "What's going on between you and Daryl?" 

If Rick had been drinking something, he would have spat the liquid on Sasha's face right away. He scratched the back of his neck with awkwardness, wishing he could find a way out of the question. Maybe walkers or some. He looked around. Nothing. Shit. 

Maggie felt bad for knowing part of the situation and not being able to tell on his friend. It was Daryl after all, right? She liked him and owed him a lot. 

Rick made a decision. "If you really want to know, you're gonna have to ask him, not me." 

Everyone but Maggie frowned at him. 

"What is it? A CIA secret or what?" Tara asked, intrigued by what was going on. Maybe Daryl needed help and she wouldn't be able to offer him any because she wouldn't know what was happening. It wasn't gossip or anything, just worry. 

"It's something he doesn't want me to talk about with you all, okay? If he wants you to know, he'll tell you." Rick spoke sternly, wanting that chat to be over. He couldn't stand it anymore. 

"But is he in danger or anything?" Carol asked, her eyes puffy and full of tears. Daryl was her friend, why didn't he talk to her? She was like a mom to him. Didn't he trust her? 

"No, he's fine. Don't worry about that, I would have told you if something really bad ever happened to him" He assured her with that charming smile of his and then left to check on his children and his new pup. 

Rick found Daryl talking to Carl about cartoons while having his thumb in his mouth, and the curious thing about it was that he wasn't chewing on it but he was sucking it and staring at Judith's pacifier. 

Once he approached them, Rick sat down next to him and pulled Judith into his lap to hold her for a little while. 

"Daryl, pup", Rick called him, causing the boy to look up from the pink pacifier Judith had in her mouth to look at the leader, who stared at him with a smile spread on his lips. 

"Wha'?" Daryl lisped sweetly around his thumb. Rick smiled and brought his hand to the pup's face to caress his cheek with love. Carl stared at them, not saying a word about the scene that was playing in front of him.

"Honey, would you like a pacifier too, one like Judith's?" Rick spoke. Daryl's face turned completely red and he stared down as he nodded. "Okay..." Rick grabbed Judith's diaper bag and started digging through it until he found a plastic pacifier. It was yellow and orange, and it looked untouched. He held it out for Daryl to grab it. "Here you are, sweet thing" He smiled at the blushing man. 

"Thanks" Daryl murmured, letting his thumb out from his mouth and grabbing his new item, then slipping it slowly between his lips. He smiled as he felt it, soon starting to suck on it. 

"Daryl, can we talk a little bit?" Rick asked, standing up and holding his hand out for Daryl to stand up as well. The man did without a doubt and soon they were both walking a few feet away from Carl and Judith. 

Daryl waited for Rick to get mad, guessing he wasn't supposed to be a grown man and behave like a baby. But it felt nice and comfortable, and he needed it so, so bad... He couldn't help it! He needed love and comprehension, which he had lacked during his whole life until he met Rick. He just felt happy around the sheriff and wanted to be taken care of, that was all.

But Rick was smiling at him, watching him move with that loving stare that made him wonder if there was something else in life as good as that, as good as Rick. 

"Daryl, what I wanted to talk to you about was... Uh... Look, I'm in love with you and I need yo know if you're still interested in me or if you'd rather just be a baby.. My baby, in fact." Rick continued staring at him, but Daryl couldn't see it because his head was facing the dirty ground. But he could feel the nice, thickling burn on his face that was caused by Rick's long stare. 

Daryl took his pacifier out of his mouth to speak. 

"I... I'minlovewithyoutoo,butIsometimesneedtobeababy." Daryl answered quickly. Rick let out a chuckle and cupped Daryl's cheeks with his hands. 

"Okay, I get it. You just gotta let me know when you need me to be your Daddy and when you just don't, okay? That way I won't be making you feel bad if I'm not all over you" Rick kissed Daryl's cheek and took his pacifier from his hand, then gently slipping it into his boy's mouth. "I love you" 

"Love you too... Daddy" Daryl blushed.

♡☆♡☆♡☆♡ 

They were all walking again, under the sunlight, when Rick noticed something was off. He turned around to go and talk to Daryl for a little bit, when he realized that the hunter wasn't anywhere to be found. He ran the few steps that separated him from Carol. 

"Hey... Did you see Daryl? I can't find him" Rick said. The grey-haired woman covered her mouth with her hands in life worry and started looking around to see if she could find her friend. She shook her head. 

"No, Rick.. I can't spot him either" Carol freaked out. 

They started growing desperate each second that passed, everyone doing their share to try to find the missing pup. Rick wondered why and where the man had escaped the group, and hoped he was okay. If it had been just him wanting some time alone, then Rick would have to punish him. He already kept his crossbow from him as a punishment for talking back to him, his Daddy, and now he might have to come up with something else. Maybe a spanking? He shook his head. No, he wouldn't dare to do something like that when Daryl felt like a baby and not like a man. That would destroy him. 

Daryl felt very sorry for having to leave the camp for a little while, but this wasn't something he could just hold, no. If he stayed with everyone, they would notice about his diaper and he didn't want that to happen. He knew what Rick had been talking about earlier with the group, and he was embarrassed the group was about to find out about his secret. Maybe they would laugh at him, or maybe they wouldn't mind. But he didn't want to know. That's why he went to pee and change his diaper in the middle of the woods, where no one would see. He smiled once he was done and headed back to the camp. He was sure Rick would lose his patience as soon as he saw him, but all he cared about now was his secret and it continuing to be a secret. 

Carol was the one to see him first, as soon as he just popped out of the tree line beside the road. Her reaction was to approach him and hug him tightly, asking him questions whether had he been kidnapped or threatened. He shook his head as an answer. The woman smiled and started calling Rick, who ran towards them and hugged Daryl tightly, then leaving a few kisses on his temple. 

"Why..." Rick slapped Daryl's bottom, not even hard enough to make it sting. "... Did you leave without telling me first?" He slapped him once again. Daryl's eyes filled with tears. He hated Rick's 'angry voice'. Rick stared at him, expecting to be answered as soon as possible. "Daryl...?" 

"Diaper, Daddy... Jus' that" The boy said, his voice sounding so impossibly little and high pitched. Rick nodded and grabbed him by the shoulder. 

"You know better than to disappear without telling anyone, am I right?" Rick was angry, Daryl could tell that. He started sobbing, staring down and making himself as small as he could. Rick hugged him once again. "Shh, shh... It's okay, baby... I get it" He decided to calm Daryl down by scooping him up and carrying him while they were back to their walk towards somewhere safe. Daryl buried his face into Rick's chest and the man petted his hair. "As soon as we find a lake or some, Daddy's gonna give you a nice bath, okay?" 

"Wif bubbles?" Daryl was almost sleepy, Rick could tell by the way his voice sounded. 

The sheriff laughed. "If we find some soap... Would you like to swim for a little bit, huh? My sweet, little pup" 

"Yesh. But Daddy help" Daryl slipped his pacifier into his mouth and closed his eyes to Rick's soothing humming, dozing off in a matter of seconds. 

♡♡♡ 

Okay, did you like the chapter? This is the longest one I've ever written, so enjoy! ;) 

Did you like how Daryl's slowly letting himself be a baby? I really enjoy writing him, he's sooooo cute!!! #DarylWithPacifier 

Bye bye!


	4. Stranger Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl isn't feeling very little, which causes Rick to start spending more time with Carl and Judith. Daryl feels jealous, wanders away and finds someone in the woods.  
> Rick gets mad. :c

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! Hope you're all liking the story <3

Daryl wasn't feeling little today, which meant he was too embarrassed to use his pacifier in front of the group, as well with all the other baby things he normally did when he felt he needed to. Today he wanted to be a big boy, to kiss Rick senseless and maybe go hunting for a while. He also wanted to take his diaper off, but he knew that was a little bit impossible due to his lack of control on his bladder. That was embarrassing. Everything felt embarrassing today. 

"Good morning, sweetheart" Rick greeted him with a smile spread on his face. It looked like he was very in the mood today. Daryl smiled as well and leaned forward to kiss him. Rick kissed him back and put a hand on his hair and started caressing it with his fingers. Once they pulled away, Rick spoke. "Guess you're just Daryl today, huh? There's no baby Daryl?" 

Daryl shook his head. "Today I'm a big boy, Rick", he said. The ex sheriff smiled sweetly at him and nodded, a little sad because he wouldn't get to cuddle his little boy for the rest of the day. The good thing about that was that he could spend time with Carl, which would make up for all the time he was busy taking care of Daryl or Judith. 

"Okay... Just don't go hide in the woods to change your diapers or anything, understood?" Grimes asked and Daryl nodded. "What will happen if you walk away without my permission, Daryl?" 

Daryl rolled his eyes and spoke monotonously: "You'll spank me so much I won't be able ta sit until walkers don't exist no more" 

Rick chuckled and nodded, happy with the answer. Daryl shrugged and started cleaning his bolts with the red handkerchief that always hung from his pocket. Rick stared at him and suddenly he saw again the sweaty, sexy man he had fallen in love with, and not the man he had been babying so much the last few days. He smiled and went to see Carl. 

He hadn't expected to see Carl so much like a man and a lot less like a child than before. Rick hadn't been aware of how much his son had changed since he saw him that day when blood started flowing through his veins once he found his family at the Atlanta camping, to that exact moment he saw him laugh at something Michonne had said. 

"Hi dad" Carl spoke, once he saw his father was walking towards him. 

"Can we... Can we talk?" Rick asked, a little bit afraid of being rejected by his teenager son. The boy stared at him. Michonne just walked away to give them some space. Rick didn't seem worried; she didn't need to know what they would talk about. 

"Sure... Uh... What's going on?" Carl asked. 

Rick's face fell. Wow... He didn't remember a single time they didn't talk about anything that didn't involve guns, food, walkers or enemies. He wanted to know how Carl felt about the loneliness of the new world they were living in, or if he had started doing certain things teenagers do... He wanted to be an actual father to Carl, one the boy could trust with anything, not just survival stuff. 

"No, nothing... I just... I just wanted us to talk... Like the old days, I guess" Rick forced a smile. It was lopsided and tired, but it was enough. Carl smirked. 

"Uhm, sure... Like... Are we watching the game tonight?" They both laughed. Rick elbowed him gently on the arm. 

"Of course! But I don't think your mom will like--" The curly-haired man bit his bottom lip once he realized what he had just said; who he had just mentioned. He wondered if Carl would feel bad for her not being there anymore. 

Carl snorted. He had felt the memory of Lori stinging inside of his chest, but it didn't take his breath away. It was not like before. That pain had stopped burning, yet its ashes remained there, deep inside of him, where they would never be swept away from. 

Awkward silence. 

Carl smiled and asked: "Do you think she would've minded having Daryl around with us? Like a baby, I mean..." 

"I think she would complain about the money and how much we would have to spend on him" Rick rolled his eyes. "But I would convince her by showing her how much adorable Daryl is" 

"Yup... Daryl's awesome. He plays a lot with Jude and we draw stuff in the dirt" Carl smiled at the thought.

Rick was so proud of Carl and how well he was taking and reacting to all that had been happening between Daryl and his father, not judging them one bit. It's not always easy to be accepted by other people, young or old, wise or dumb. That's why Rick was so proud and thankful.  
The ex sheriff hugged his son and held him tight for a while. 

 

Daryl watched the whole scene and for a few seconds he felt something strange, as if a heavy thing had squashed his chest. He suddenly felt the need to be cradled and babied, and that's why he took his pacifier from his pocket and slipped it into his mouth as he turned away from Rick and Carl, heading into the woods to take a walk. He was upset because he had actually felt like a big boy since he woke up, but then it changed when he thought that maybe Rick would only want to be with him if he was little.

Now that he was gone, Rick would have to worry about him and he would care to know whether he's okay or not. He didn't care about the punishment that would come after that, he just wanted attention from Rick. 

Daryl walked around for a while, taking down a few walkers he found and hunting some squirrels, with his pacifier still in his mouth as he sucked on it. He wondered if Rick was thinking of him in that exact moment, or if the man was still talking to Carl while he spoke about walkers and all those things that had made their lives miserable. 

The hunter continued doing his job as he shook his head and thought more about feeding the group and less about Rick, his Daddy. 

Everything was silent around him. He was about to shoot another squirrel, when he heard someone approaching him almost quietly. He turned around and aimed his crossbow to the place where the noiae had come from. He didn't recognize those footsteps, so technical yet so inexperienced, and that's why he reacted. He took the pacifier out of his mouth and put it away, missing it as soon as it entered his pocket. 

"Who the fuck are ye?" Daryl spat, still aiming to the bushes and rocks, which hid that someone. 

"I-- I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise" A thin, tall man appeared from between the bushes, with his arms up in a surrendering pose. Daryl eyed him up and down. The man just carried a shotgun that hung from his shoulder by means of a strip. "My name is Aaron, and I would like to talk to Rick" He spoke. Daryl automatically launched himself towards him and punched him in the jaw. 

"You been spyin'n us?!" Daryl yelled, grabbing a hold of his shirt. Aaron didn't answer. "Piece a' shit, y' Terminus bastard! Ye think I'm so stupid ta lead ya to Rick?!" 

"What is Terminus?" Aaron furrowed his brow in confusion. Daryl rolled his eyes. He felt the man wasn't lying. He let go of Aaron. "I'm from Alexandria, a community with houses and good people. I'd like to take you all there" 

Daryl stared at him blankly for a couple of seconds, then taking the man by the arm and starting to drag him towards the place where the group was. Aaron remained silent during the walk, letting Daryl think of that Community and whatever benefits it would bring to the group. 

☆☆☆

Carol looked around and went to find Tara and Maggie, who were talking while picking their stuff up so that everyone could continue walking. The gray-haired woman approached the two other women and said: 

"Have you seen Daryl? I haven't seen him in a while--" 

"No, we haven't. He's been disappearing a lot, more than before at the prison." Maggie said, now also worried. "We should go tell Rick" Carol and Tara nodded. 

Rick was still talking to Carl and now he had Judith sat on his lap, playing with his grown beard and tugging at it. The ex cop was so proud of his family, so much he would do ANYTHING to protect them and make them as happy as he could. They were all he had left; no more world, no more house, no more society, no more other families, no more recreation, no more movies, no more fake disaster. Before it was all fake, it all FELT fake. Problems like fights between politicians because of the power petroleum brought them, or like fashion, magazines and TV, media and reputation... Those things were like a cover that kept people from actually seeing what they were causing, then making them lose everything, even their lives. They definitely should have known better. 

"Rick... " Maggie called him. She didn't want to interrupt Rick and Carl's talk, now that they seemed to be getting on well once again, but there was someone missing who they all cared about. 

Rick looked up and his smile turned into a frown as he saw her worried face. 

He felt it. Daryl. Again. His world fell instantly. 

"I'll go look for--" 

"Rick?" 

The former sheriff turned around and saw Daryl standing next to another man, one he didn't know. He guessed the man wasn't a threat if Daryl didn't show himself worried, so he grabbed his baby by the arm and dragged him a couple of feet away from everyone else. His face was full of anger and worry, and now he was going to do something about it. 

"I'm sick of you" Rick told Daryl, hissing as the venom was being spat by his mouth as he clenched his jaw. Daryl looked down, ashamed of himself. "We were almost leaving, not even knowing that you were gone! You wanna get lost, left behind?! Okay, get lost, get eaten, get whatever you want... You don't seem to worry about me and whatever shit this is causing to me. You have one more chance, Daryl. Just one more. You're gone once again without telling me, and I'm not gonna look for you anymore. You won't have a Daddy anymore" 

Daryl nodded. He felt like a pile of unwanted shit. Not even Rick liked him anymore. Rick; his Daddy. 

His eyes were full of tears, he wanted to sit and cry so loud walkers would come and get rid of him. He felt he was too much shit for Rick and the group to stand. He didn't think he deserved being cared for. 

"I brought someone", the hunter spoke almost silently, as a few tears slid down his reddened cheeks. Rick stared at him and he wished he hadn't said those things to him. Daryl was his baby, he was HIS. It was HIS responsibility to look after him. Babies wander away, adults have to guide them. "His name's Aaron" He choked out. Rick continued staring at him and his quivering lip. He brought his hand up to Daryl's face and, after seeing him flinch as he expected a punch in the face, Rick put his index finger against his baby's mouth to stop him from sobbing, and once the hunter was completely silent, he leaned forward and kissed his lips. 

Once they pulled away, Rick said: "I love you, little boy. I'm sorry... I- I... I was just worried, I..." 

"I get it" Daryl nodded, still crying. Rick's words had hurt him too much. 

"No, no... I am the one who has to keep you close, okay? Any mistake you make is because of me, your caregiver. I promise I won't leave you unsupervised anymore, baby. And I'll never stop being your Daddy, trust me, I love you too much to do that." Rick said, kissing Daryl once more before turning towards the stranger. The man saw him and said: 

"I have a place"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for taking SO LONG to update :c 
> 
>  
> 
> Do you think Rick should have just spanked Daryl as he'd promised, or just giving him a warning was fine? I know, I know... What he said was terrible. I just wanted some drama c:


	5. Unwanted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick takes Daryl to the woods, where he punishes him for disobeying his rules. The hunter get very upset and worried. But he worries even more when he knows they're going to Alexandria and he thinks he won't be accepted due to his lack of control on his bladder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii!

Rick stared at Aaron and then turned back to Daryl, who was still wiping some stray tears away. The little boy was sobbing slightly and staring down at his feet. He felt bad for making his little boy cry, but he had been too worried about him when he walked away and he couldn't help letting him know how bad that had been, even if his words weren't nice. 

"I could take you there, I could show--" 

"How can we know it's not a trap?" Rick cut Aaron off, causing the other man to sigh deeply before digging into his pockets and took some pictures out of the left one. He handed them to Rick. "That's Alexandria" He says. Rick looked at the pictures in awe and then handed them back to their owner. "Where is it?" Despite not knowing if he should trust the stranger or not, he did know that he had to find them all a new home or they would eventually die. He had a kid, a baby and now a little boy! They couldn't continue wandering, they had to find a place to live in. 

"Some of you could come with me. My partner is waiting for all of us a couple of miles away from here." Aaron explained and Rick nodded. 

Daryl was feeling nervous. He didn't want to go to that community or whatever that was, he just wanted his friends and his Daddy, and nothing else. But the people in that place wouldn't take in a man who acted like a baby, they would make the group choose between being safe and keeping him with them, and they all would choose to throw him out because a home was more important than a stupid, big toddler. He would lose his Daddy, the only person who ever loved him. 

He wanted to sit on the ground and cry, but he couldn't do that in front of someone he had just met, so he looked for his pacifier. Once he found it, he placed it into his mouth and then he turned away from everyone and started walking. 

He hadn't gone any far when he felt a hand on his shoulder, which grabbed him to hold him still. Daryl knew it was Rick. 

"Where do you think you're going, little boy?" Rick wasn't mad at him, not anymore, but it was obvious that he wasn't as nice as always towards the baby, who immediately turned to look at him. 

Daryl shrugged. "Don' know, Daddy. 'M tired. And bored" It was true, his eyes had bags underneath and his face showed exhaustion. Rick sighed. 

"Okay, let's go take a walk" Rick took Daryl's hand and started walking him towards the woods. He turned to the group: "We'll be back in an hour or so" And then they left. 

Daryl's hands were shaking, but he tried hard to hide it from his Daddy, who was also thinking yet not saying anything. The little boy knew that as soon as they got to wherever Rick was walking him to, he was going to tell him that it was all, that they were going to Alexandria and that he wouldn't be able to go with them and that's why he would get left behind. He fucking knew it! He knew the look on Rick's face, and it said that nothing good was a bout to happen. 

Rick couldn't believe he would actually have to spank Daryl, but he had to do it to teach the boy a lesson he would never forget. Wandering away was not an option when no one else knew where he was going, and he would have to learn it before he ever got left behind or hurt, away from anyone that could help him. 

He knew how bad it would make Daryl feel as soon as he laid a hand on his bottom, but losing him would be millions of times worse than having to watch him cry for a little while. 

They got to a place that was far enough from the group so that no one would hear Daryl's cries if he was in too much pain, even though he would never dare to spank him hard enough to actually hurt him. 

Rick looked around to see if there were walkers or anything, but he didn't find any danger so he sat down onto the floor and told Daryl to sit down as well. The boy did, obviously scared and shaking, and Rick couldn't help thinking to let it all go and just hug him tightly until his fears were all gone. But he couldn't do that, his little boy had to learn. 

"Do you know why we're here, sweetheart?" The ex cop asked, causing the boy to look at him. 

Daryl didn't know what to say: should he tell Rick that he knows about his plan, or should he just shake his head and let Rick say all the cruel stuff so that he could realize how awful that was? Yeah... Maybe he should just pretend he didn't know. 

"No, Daddy... Why we here?" Daryl stared at him wide-eyed. 

Rick licked his lips and said: "Have you ever been too worried about someone to be at the verge of tears by just thinking something awful could happen to them?" 

Daryl nodded his head. "Yes... Merle used ta escape the house for long time s'mtimes" 

"Okay, then you know how bad it feels, right?" He asked and Daryl nodded once again. "Then, if you are aware of how much that hurts, why do you disappear like that without telling anyone?" 

Daryl was confused: what did this have to do with abandoning him in the middle of nowhere? 

He shrugged, knowing he had to tell the truth. "T'day I saw you talkin' to Carl, an' you didn't seem ta worry 'bout me if I wasn't little" Daryl stared down as some tears started pricking his eyes. "I jus' wanted you t' worry 'bout me, Daddy. I'm sorry!" Daryl cried and buried his face into Rick's chest. 

Rick sighed deeply. Wow... He hadn't been expecting this at all. He petted Daryl's hair slowly to help him calm down, even though he was a little mad at him for doing what he had done just because he was jealous. 

"I understand that you were jealous, but--" 

"I wasn't jealous!" Daryl crossed his arms and pouted. 

"Okay... I understand that you didn't like the situation, but do you think that's something nice to do to your Daddy, huh? I was worried, I was upset... Daryl, you have to think about what things are going to cause before doing them" Rick was speaking sternly, causing the boy to bite his bottom lip and cry as he felt bad for being a naughty boy. Now his Daddy would leave him for being a big baby and also for being bad.

"Daddy, please forgive meeeee!" Daryl wailed, clinging to Rick's shirt and soaking it with his tears. Rick rubbed his back soothingly. "I'm sorryyy!" 

"Shh, shh... It's okay, it's okay... We'll make a deal and everything will be fine, sweetie" Rick was sure Daryl would never agree to get spanked like the naughty little boy he had been, but he would have to do it anyways so it wasn't actually his choice. 

Daryl stared at him in awe, thinking that maybe that would be the moment when Rick would tell him that if he stayed away from them all, he would be forgiven. Could Rick actually be so manipulative? 

"Wha's that deal?" The little boy spoke with reluctance. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know. 

"I was thinking that you should get spanked for breaking the rules, what do you think? If you let me do it and behave properly, then I won't be upset anymore" Rick spoke as calmly as he could, expecting Daryl to begin screaming and crying, but great was his surprise as his little boy remained silent as he nodded in agreement, then shrugging. A spanking was a million times better than being left behind by his own family. 

"Kay... But don' touch ma back" The hunter said, and Rick nodded. He would NEVER actually hurt any of his kids. 

"Okay, honey... Stand up, pull your pants down and lay across my lap, please" Rick asked kindly, pretty ashamed of what he wwas gonna have to do to his little boy, who had accepted his punishment just to be forgiven for the mistake he had made. After all, Daryl was just a baby, his baby, and HE had to guide him so that he didn't make mistakes. What happened had been his fault as well as Daryl's. 

The hunter blushed as he did as he was told and pulled his pants down, revealing an obviously wet diaper. Rick led him down onto his lap and ran his right hand across the wet plastic, making Daryl squirm as embarrassment filled his body and made him blush even more. 

"You didn't tell me you were wet, Daryl" Rick showed himself disappointed as he untaped the sides of the diaper. 

"I- I... It happened a minute ago" Daryl murmured. Rick bit his bottom lip and decided to just do what he had to do and stop putting it off until he was brave enough to get it done. 

Daryl wanted to scream when Rick took his diaper off and started caressing his pale butt cheeks with his big and calloused hand. It was humiliating! After a couple of seconds, Rick sighed deeply and brought his hand down on his little boy. 

The sound of the smack made Rick's stomach churn, and the sting of his heavy hand made Daryl let out a muffled whimper. It hurt like hell! He had never been spanked before, even though he did get beaten up by his father, and it was such an unpleasant experience! He would make sure he ALWAYS did things the way Rick wanted, just to never have to feel this way again... That if he didn't get kicked out, of course. 

A couple of slaps landed on Daryl's backside, causing him to squirm as he felt the sting burning his skin. His eyes were full of tears and he barely could breathe because of his nervousness. 

"Daryl, wandering off is NOT funny!" The ex sheriff smacked him. "Even if you're not feeling comfortable with he group, you do NOT walk away. You will NOT go hunting anymore without supervision, and if you ever do something like that again, you will receive this same punishment but right in front of the group, do you understand?" He smacked Daryl five times, causing the boy to start wailing as the pain got worse. 

"Y-ye-yes, Da--Daddy...." Daryl spoke between sobs. 

Rick continued slapping him for a little while more, then stopping to rub the baby's skin. He felt bad for making his boy cry, but it would be hopefully the last time he would have to do it. He knew Daryl always learned easily, so he hoped there would be never need of doing this again. 

"Okay baby, it's over..." Rick tried to soothe him, but Daryl continued crying for a good couple of minutes, which felt like hours to both o them. 

"Y-you don' l-love me..." Daryl sobbed, standing up to walk away from Rick, even though he was half naked and he didn't have a diaper on. Rick held him still by grabbing his arm without using much strength, and then he pulled him into his lap, holding him as he cried like an actual baby. 

"No, sweetheart... If I didn't love you, I wouldn't be doing this because I wouldn't care if you were okay or not" Rick kissed his forehead and swayed slowly to soothe him. "I love you so, so much, my Daryl" He continued kissing Daryl's face and then he put him on a clean diaper. "Now let's start walking back to the road, or the group will worry" They started standing up to go back to where the rest of the group waited for them. 

Daryl thought that maybe he was being too ungrateful to Rick, who had apparently decided not to give him up. It was something very important, because at least he would get to come back to the rest of his family. Maybe Rick didn't want to get rid of him, right? 

"Thanks Daddy" Daryl mumbled. He knew Rick heard it. 

♡◇♡

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you got the spanking you wanted Daryl to get. Was it too cruel? What do you think?


	6. Big Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl tries to pretend he's not a baby, thinking that maybe Aaron won't notice he is and he'll be let into Alexandria as well. Rick doesn't react well to Daryl's weird behavior and tries to understand why his baby doesn't want to be little all of a sudden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so... I wanna write some one shost about baby Daryl, but I don't know what should happen in them. Maybe you want to read something specific...? Tell me what you want to read, sweeties!

Daryl was still a little bit upset about the spanking, and that's why he wouldn't look at Rick. But he was thankful, though, because he hadn't gotten left behind as he thought he would.

Rick was talking to Aaron about going to see where Eric, the man who had been accompanying the searcher, was. If they found him as the 'Alexandrian' had promised, then they would give the Community a chance and everyone would go. It could give them a chance to survive, otherwise they'd eventually die on the road. "Eric should be just a couple of miles away from us, in a small town" Aaron said. "We agreed to meet there if I ever convinced you to come" "We'll go" Rick promised, deciding to trust Aaron.

°°°°°°°

As soon as the whole group got to the small town Eric was in, Aaron ran towards the house to hug the other man, then kissing him lovingly. Daryl and Rick watched in silence, not even turning to look at each other. The little boy was still upset, and his Daddy was concerned about some other things.  
Maggie grabbed Daryl by his shoulder and led him to another room, wanting to talk to him. He was afraid of what she could say, but he followed her anyways.

It was a very dark room and the air in it was thick, but those facts didn't concern Daryl at all. Yet he was obviously worried, Maggie could tell. His stare was glued to the dirty ground and his hands were shaking.  
She spoke nicely to him, trying hard not to startle him.

"I don't want to be nosy here, but... I think you should tell the rest of the group, Daryl. They just want to know if you're okay and if they can help you. No one would jud---" 

"No" He almost whispered, biting his bottom lip. 

"Everyone loves you here and, I don't know, I feel like you don't trust us as a family." She felt bad for making such a shy man that nervous and miserable with just a few questions. 

"They'll laugh. Jus' like Alexandria will" That last part definitely belonged in his mind and nowhere else, but they slipped out and there was nothing he could do about it. 

Maggie gave him an understanding smile and nodded. 

"I understand your fears, but I swear that, as you're a brother to me, I'll make sure that no one laughs at you. Ever" She said.

Everyone was sleeping and the whole place was silent, though Daryl was wide awake, laying next to Rick. The little boy couldn't stop thinking about Alexandria and how well the others would be if they found the place, and he felt bad because of all the sadness that overwhelmed him as he thought that he would have to leave the group. He wasn't sure the leader of Alexandria wouldn't let him stay, but he considered it would be absurd if anyone let an adult baby into the community. 

Tears started filling his eyes as he thought of being rejected by the Alexandrian people. He buried his face into Rick's chest and a sob escaped his lips. Rick grunted in his sleep, then opening his eyes slightly and finding Daryl clinging to his chest. 

"Hey, what is it, love?" Rick hugged his baby and rubbed his back soothingly. "Did you have a nightmare?" 

Daryl shook his head, still crying. 

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Rick asked in a whisper, and Daryl shook his head, embarrassed. He just hugged Rick tighter and cried for a few more minutes. "Shh, shh..." Rick continued rubbing the baby's back. "Do you need your pacifier, pup?" 

Daryl nodded slowly, without pulling away from the older man. 

"Okay... Where is it?" Rick tried to pull away from Daryl to go look for the pacifier, but the little boy whined and clung even tighter to his Daddy. "It's okay, honey. I was just gonna--" 

"I- It's in my pocket" Daryl whispered, trying to reach for the back pocket in his jeans, but Rick stopped him and slid his hand down his back toward his bottom. The little boy gasped as he felt Rick's big and strong hand cupping his ass and then squeezing it the beat he could due to the thick diaper Daryl was wearing. 

"Mhm... What a nice thing you've got here, babe" Rick smirked and squeezed Daryl's backside once more before grabbing the pacifier from his pocket. "Here" He placed it into the baby's mouth. 

"Fanks" Daryl said, looking up and staring at Rick's face, or at least what he could see in the dark room. 

"You're welcome, pretty boy. Now let's sleep, or we won't be able to go to Alexandria tomorrow" Rick kissed Daryl's cheek. 

Daryl froze. TOMORROW? HE HAD JUST A FEW HOURS TO BE WITH RICK, UNTIL EVERYONE WENT TO ALEXANDRIA?! He had to make a plan. 

By 5am, approximately, Daryl had the perfect plan to stay with the group in the community: he would stop being a baby. It would be difficult because he LOVED being taken care of by Rick, but he would have to make an effort if he wanted to stay with his family. To start, he took his beloved pacifier off of his mouth and put it in his pocket. Then he would take care of his diapers, but that would have to wait until Rick woke up and changed his used one.

Once Rick woke up, he checked on his children, finding out that Daryl was wide awake, staring at him with love shining in his blue eyes. 

"Hi, baby. How did you sleep?" He smiled at the boy and rubbed his clothed tummy, making him squirm and giggle as he also tickled him. 

"Fine" Daryl smiled and added "and you?" 

Rich smiled and nodded as he replied: "I slept by your side, so I slept the best way possible" His hand travelled from Daryl's belly to his diaper which he found very wet. He looked at Daryl as if he said 'really?' "Pup, you know you have to tell me, otherwise you'll get a rash", Rick explained and Daryl nodded slowly, as if that was the first time he had been told so. 

"Kay. 'M hungry, Daddy" Daryl spoke, his voice shaking a little bit. Rick stared at him quite concerned, yet he didn't say anything and just nodded, untaping his baby's diaper and starting to clean him up with some wipes. When he was about to grab a fresh diaper, the little boy spoke: "No, Da-- Rick, I'm a big boy today" He smiled forcefully. 

"But Daryl, even when you're not feeling little you wear your diapers" Daddy said, but the look on Daryl's face made him change his mind and he just nodded. He was happy they were going to Alexandria, so he wasn't in the mood for arguing, least of all with Daryl. "Okay, I'll let you wear some boxers, but if you go pee in ypur pants, even just a little bit, I'll put you on a diaper. Understood?" Rick warned. 

Daryl nodded happily. He could do it. "Thanks, Rick!" It really hurt to HAVE to call Daddy by his name, but he had to make Aaron and everyone in Alexandria that he was just a 'normal' man. Maybe then, they would let him in without any trouble. 

"No problem, love" Rick pecked at Daryl's lips and went to grab his bag, where he had some extra underwear for the now big boy to borrow. He quickly changed him and redressed him in his jeans. He scooped him up and carried him to the kitchen, where he let him walk by himself, patting his butt playfully. Daryl giggled and started digging into the cabinets until he found some rice to boil and make breakfast for everyone. Maybe, if he made breakfast, he would prove that he wasn't a baby. It made sense. 

Rick left the room and went to sleep some more, since he had just slept a few hours. 

Once he finished preparing everything and the food was ready, he called everyone, including Rick, and they all sat on the floor and at the table to eat. They all thanked Daryl for the nice gesture. 

Rick was glad to see that his little boy was trying to help, he was such a great person! 

"We're leaving in ten. Get ready" Rick told everyone, starting to get all the bags ready and gathering them to put them into the van they were using to go to Alexandria. 

They had been travelling for half an hour when Daryl started squirming in the backseat, which caused Carl to turn and look at him with worry. 

"What's wrong? Are you feeling alright?" The older boy asked, staring at the baby as he held Judith in his arms and onto his lap. 

"I have to pee" Daryl admitted, still squirming. 

Rick, who had noticed how much Daryl had been moving on the backseat, turned towards him and, as he had listened what the little boy had said, spoke: 

"Why didn't you go five minutes ago, when we went to the woods to pee?" The former sheriff asked, making Daryl blush as he saw Aaron staring at him in the rear-view mirror. HE WOULD NOTICE, HE WOULD NOTICE! 

Daryl's eyes filled with tears as he was embarrassed and his belly ached like hell. He said: "I didn't have to go then!" And then he started crying, not being able to hold it in and just letting his feelings explode and get him exposed for anyone to notice how little he actually was. 

He ruined everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SOOO SORRY IT TOOK ME MORE THAN A MONTH TO UPDATE :'''''(


	7. Home for EVERYONE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl's worries about the community increase and make him doubt that he could be accepted there along with his friends. But it's okay, because Daddy is always there to help his baby boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!   
>  Wish I could've been able to update sooner, but my inspiration was nowhere to be found, honestly. I'm really sorry, guys :c Promise it won't happen again. Once school is over, I'll be updating a lot more :3 I'm really looking forward to being able to write more things <3   
>  Love youuu, and hope you don't want to kill me :/

* * *

  Daryl gasped as soon as he realized that he was wetting his pants, and a few sobs escaped his mouth. Rick held him tight and rubbed his back while he cried. The group remained silent, watching what was happening and trying to understand what everything was about. 

  "Daryl, sweetheart... " Rick tried to talk to him, but the baby shook his head and opened the door of the van. They had stopped a little while ago, so he quickly stepped out of the vehicle and started walking away. Once everyone made sure that Daryl wouldn't hear them, they started talking and asking questions at the same time. "Okay, okay... One at a time, please" He tried to calm everyone down. 

  Carol was the first one to talk. "What's going on, Rick? What's wrong with him?" She asked sweetly. 

  Rick sighed, knowing that there was no way out of this and that he couldn't wait for Daryl to talk to them. 

  "There's nothing wrong with him, Carol. He just... He needs diapers, okay? So I'm just helping him through this and I'm taking care of him. H-he needs me" He said. 

  Carol nodded. Rick could feel Aaron's stare on him, which made him very uncomfortable, but he didn't say anything. 

  "So... You're saying that he's a baby?" Glenn asked. Everyone turned to look at him, even his wife. 

  Rick nodded. "Yes, he is. He needs to be a baby, you know? Daryl's never had an actual childhood, we all know that, so I'm giving him what he's been missing all this time: love. And he also gets to have the childhood he wanted" He spoke proudly, remembering that day when he fed Daryl his lunch. That had been one of the cutest days ever. "I'm gonna go get him" He said, grabbing the bag where he kept Daryl's diapers and changing stuff, and then he stepped out of the van. 

  Rick quickly found Daryl sitting a few meters away from the vehicle, right in front of the woods. Rick smiled, walked towards him and sat down by his side. He patted his back. 

  "Good boy" He said. Daryl turned to look at him as if asking what he was talking about. Rick smiled. "You remembered that you shouldn't go to the woods unsupervised, sweetheart" 

  Daryl nodded, bringing his knees closer to his chest and hugging his legs. "Yes, I didn't wanna get a spanking" He bit his lip and stared down at the ground. 

  Rick nodded. "That's okay, I didn't want to spank you either" He sighed. "Okay now. I think you need a change, pumpkin" 

  Daryl blushed and nodded, pouting at his wet clothes, that stuck to his legs and butt. 

  Rick knelt on the floor and made Daryl lay down onto the gray asphalt. The boy stayed still while Rick pulled his pants down and took them off along with his wet underwear. Then, the older man grabbed a diaper from the bag and slid it under his bottom. He cleaned him up with some wipes and then sprinkled baby powder on his private parts, taping the diaper up afterwards. 

  "You're lucky I got you some other pants" Rick said as he put Daryl on another pair of jeans. "Alright. All done, mister" He tweaked Daryl's nose and then stood up to scoop the baby up and carry him towards the van. 

  Before they had approached too much, Daryl hid his face and buried it into the crook of Rick's neck. The man rubbed his baby's back and said: 

   "Shh... Shh... Easy, sweetheart. Daddy's here" He patted Daryl's padded bottom, which gave the baby some kind of comfort and also a feeling of pain. He wouldn't be able to feel Rick's touch ever again after that day. 

  "D-daddy...?" He called the other man with such a sweet and innocent tone that it was difficult to imagine that the sound had come out of an adult's mouth. 

  Rick smiled. "Mh-hm, honey?" 

  Daryl took his time to think about the exact words he would use before he spoke: 

   "Daddy, can I, at least, stay near the place? Outside, a'course, but near?" The baby asked, biting his lower lip. He knew that he was asking too much because the community would be very uncomfortable in his presence, but he wished he could stay close, even if it was in a camp outside. It didn't even have to be right next to the walls of the place, it could be a whole mile away if they needed, or maybe two. He could walk that far to just get a daily hug from Rick and then go back to the place where he'd stay. 

  Rick pulled away from Daryl to just stare at the boy for a second, with his face full of confusion. What had Daryl meant? 

  "W-what do you mean, Daryl?" He asked, looking the boy in the eye. 

  Daryl rolled his eyes. He didn't want to explain what was going to happen because he knew he would cry as soon as he started. It was just too painful! 

  "Th-they're not gonna let me stay there wif them" He said, sadness invading his blue eyes. 

  Rick's eyes widened. What had he missed now? Who had said such a thing to his baby? 

  "What? Why not?" 

  "A'cause I'm a big baby!" The boy said, moving his hands to explain how obvious it was, and his eyes started filling up with tears. Rick juststared at him and let him finish talking, as he analyzed his words. "They's not gonna want me there, so you'll have to choose, and you'll choose to be warm and safe" Now hot tears were sliding down his reddened face while he did his best not to let out those sobs that were trying to escape directly from his heart. 

  It was heartbreaking to hear Daryl talk like that, but Rick tried to stay strong and calm the boy down before he broke into a sobbing mess himself. 

  "No, sweetheart, I would never choose being warm and safe if it meant that you wouldn't get to be warm and safe too, there, with me." He gently wiped Daryl's tears away with his hands and kissed his tear stained cheek. He smiled at him as a tear slid down his own cheek. "If they didn't want you there, which I don't think could ever be true, I would turn my back on them and reject their offer, baby" Rick took the baby's hand and kissed it gently. 

  "B-but--" 

  "Honey, there's nothing anyone could ever do to make me leave your side, okay? You're my family too, Daryl" He smiled at him and Daryl blushed. "Okay, are you ready to go now?" 

  Daryl nodded shyly, hiding his face into the crook of Rick's neck once again. The older man caressed the baby's back soothingly as he started walking towards the van. Once they got there, Rick sat Daryl down on the car seat and then he sat down as well. 

  As he sat down, Daryl noticed that everyone was looking at him, so he turned to look at Rick as his eyes filled with tears. Rick glared at those who were staring at the baby, causing them to finally look away. 

  "Shh, it's okay" Rick hugged Daryl by his waist and kissed the top of his head. 

  Maggie smiled at the baby, glad that he was finally letting people get close to him. He was trusting people, even if it was just Rick, and that was good for him. Carol was happy too, because she knew that Rick would always take care of the hunter and that he was the most capable person to keep him safe. 

  It was a long trip and it was making Daryl sleepy. He wanted to pull his pacifier out of his pocket and use it until he fell asleep, but he knew that the group would be watching him, so he forced himself to decide against it. Daryl managed to stop himself from grabbing his pacifier until he heard the well-known sound the walkers made, which caused him to just take the small object out of his pocket and slip it into his mouth before any doubts could make him regret it. He started sucking on the pacifier as soon as he had it in his mouth. 

  Carol smiled at the baby's action, feeling her heart fill with joy as she saw how bad Daryl needed to be little. She would help him too, she swore to herself. She would do anything to make Daryl's life easier from now on. 

  Rick petted Daryl's hair with his right hand, still hugging his waist and feeling the boy's head against his shoulder. The little boy let out little snores and that made Rick smile at his baby's tenderness. The former sheriff sighed and looked at Carol, who was sitting next to him. 

  The woman smiled at Rick, thankful for the man's actions and knowing that he would always do a great job at taking care of Daryl, as well as he did with his other children. 

  Carol was about to move to pet the boy's hair along with Rick, when the sleeping hunter moved and started talking in his sleep. A few seconds later Rick felt him move almost frantically, so he decided to interfere by waking him up. Rick shook him gently by the shoulder. When Daryl opened his eyes and looked around, he calmed down a little bit. His heart was beating really fast, so he tried to breathe deeply to slow the frantic heartbeat down. 

  Rick looked at his big, frightened eyes and hugged him tightly. 

  "It's okay, sweetheart" He said, rubbing soothing circles on the baby's back. "It was just a nightmare" 

  Glenn, Maggie and Carol let out an "aawww". Daryl blushed and buried his face into Rick's chest. 

   Suddenly, Aaron cleared his throat, causing everyone to turn to look at him, even Daryl. 

  "Wish I didn't have to interrupt, but... We're here" Aaron said, stopping the van in front of big walls and a large sliding, metallic door. 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

  


End file.
